The salt industry in Vietnam needs new strategies to develop sustainably and efficiently, experts said. (Photo: VNA) Vietnam has a number of advantages in salt production, including a3,200km coastline and favourable natural conditions, but is affected bysmall-scale and scattered production and a lack of industrial methods, whichaffect quality and productivity.
Besides, the low incomes it fetches means the salt production area fell to just11,000ha last year from 13,160ha in 2017, according to the Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development.
Producers have switched to aquaculture and other occupations, leaving many saltfarms abandoned.
Besides, only 14 out of 73 salt production facilities in the country haveadopted technology and industrial methods, which leads to a decrease inproduction capacity.
Extreme competition in the global market and insufficient funding had preventedmany of them, including his, from growing, Pham Thanh Chuong, director of ThanhChuong Iodine Salt Trading Production Co., Ltd., said.
Ho Xuan Vinh, director of ABACA Vietnam Co., Ltd, said on the other hand, somehad adopted hi-tech methods to make a variety of products such as naked andlow-sodium salts only to see consumers unable to differentiate between them.
To build an efficient salt industry, it was necessary to tap the full potentialof production areas, improve productivity and quality, and diversify productsto meet consumers’ needs in the local and export markets, Le Duc Thinh, head ofthe department, said.
Vinh said the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development should be a channelto connect enterprises with co-operation opportunities to develop asustainable value chain and ensure steady incomes for farmers, promote theindustry’s products, and set standards and guidelines to enhance quality.
Luc Manh Tung of Agritech Vietnam Investment and Trading JSC said his companyhad been working with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development to helpincrease the capacity of farmers and cooperatives.
It had also set up a fund together with the Department of Agriculture and RuralDevelopment to provide soft loans to cooperatives, he added.
The ministry has a salt industry development project for 2021-25 in Nam Dinh,Thai Binh, Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa, Ninh Thuan, Ben Tre, and Bac Lieu provinces.
It plans to foster the industry by developing infrastructure, adoptingindustrial production methods and technology, building geographical indicationsand brands, and soliciting investment.
Plans are also afoot to combine salt production and tourism to promote theindustry on a global scale./.
VNA
